Graduate Field of Global Development

The MPS is an accredited, one-year, course-based master’s degree program that prepares individuals for the 21st-century workplace through knowledge development and career skillset refinement. The specialized, course-based instruction led by world-class faculty broadens expertise and provides various interdisciplinary venues for critically analyzing alternative strategies. Students learn about practices, technologies, approaches, and trends in agriculture and rural development efforts around the world.

The MPS program has two main components: 

1. Coursework: Students work with a faculty advisor to customize their course of study based on their area(s) of interest.  While the majority of the courses (20 of the required 30 credits) will be in CALS, students have the flexibility to take additional coursework across Cornell. Students gain knowledge of development theory and practice combined with technical core competency in subject areas such as: production agriculture; soil, water and land management; agricultural, food systems and development economics; policy and trade; policy analysis; rural development; and participatory extension.
2. Capstone project: With the guidance of a faculty advisor, MPS candidates undertake an applied capstone project to fulfill the MPS degree requirements. The MPS project offers the opportunity to apply newly-acquired problem solving tools to real world issues, providing valuable insights as students embark on their post-graduation careers.

MPS students are part of a cohort of CALS professional master’s students specializing in diverse fields of study and have a dedicated support organization, offering career guidance, professional skill development and a network of supportive Cornell alumni.

Admission criteria for the Master of Professional Studies program in the field of Global Development include at least two years of relevant professional experience, possession of an undergraduate degree granted by an institution of recognized standing, relevant academic preparation for graduate study in this program and clear professional objectives focused on global development or international agriculture and rural development, expressed in the statement of purpose. 

Applicants with limited professional experience will also be considered for admission, but must have a relevant degree and field work or other experience appropriate to the mission of our program. 

The regular application deadline is March 15. An additional early evaluation priority deadline has been added for February 1. Returning Peace Corps Volunteers may apply by either deadline date for Coverdell Scholarship consideration. All applications must be submitted through the Graduate School's online application process. 

• A statement of purpose explaining why the applicant wishes to undertake graduate studies in their chosen field. The statement is given considerable weight in admission decisions.
• Two letters of recommendation. Most weight is given to recommendations by teachers who can assess the applicant’s ability to meet high academic standards.
• Complete transcripts from all educational institutions previously attended.
• For international applicants, an official TOEFL score is required before the application will be reviewed by the field. Detailed TOEFL requirements and instructions are available through the Graduate School website.
• GRE scores are not required or accepted.
• A current CV or resume.
• The application fee or fee waiver. In cases of extreme financial need please visit the Graduate School Application Fees website for instructions and information on requesting a fee waiver.

Questions?

Contact Allison Barrett, Graduate Field Coordinator in Global Development, at aeb238 [at] cornell.edu.

The current tuition for the 2021-2022 academic year is $40,088. Estimated living costs are not included. 

Applicants need to obtain their own funding. International students are required to show proof of funding before the Graduate School will admit them to the program.

The program has one Coverdell Fellowship to award per year. The Fellowship may be awarded to one student, in which case it covers full tuition, or it may be split among up to four students at the discretion of the Global Development admissions committee.

The program also awards, on a competitive basis, one Teaching Assistantship per year, which covers tuition and provides a stipend. The TA-ship requires up to 15 hours of work per week.

Many students finance their education through external funding opportunities or by securing federal or private loans.

Students are responsible for obtaining their own funding for the MPS program in Global Development. The program offers a limited number of scholarships and fellowships on a competitive basis. The list we provide below includes fellowships administered by the program and other programs at Cornell. This list is not an exhaustive guide to funding sources. 

Coverdell Fellowship
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) offers one Coverdell Fellowship to a returned Peace Corps volunteer in the field of Global Development. The fellowship covers full-tuition and health insurance for one academic year. The fellowship may be split between two students.

There is no separate application for the Coverdell Fellowship. All RPCVs admitted to the program are considered for the fellowship. If you are a finalist, you will be asked to submit a Description of Service (DOS). Finalists will be notified in April. 

FLAS Fellowships

Students admitted to the MPS program may apply for a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship from the South Asia or Southeast Asia Program at Cornell.

Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents and fellowship deadlines are often in early March. Interested applicants are therefore encouraged to apply to the MPS program early. The Fellowship provides a nine-month stipend of roughly $15,000 plus an education allowance (towards tuition) of roughly $18,000. Fellowship recipients agree to take language and regional studies courses in both academic semesters of the MPS program (note that language credits do not count toward the 30-credit requirement for the MPS degree).

RANA Prize

The RANA Prize aims to encourage, motivate, and increase the confidence of promising students to explore unique, unusual and not “more-of-the-same” competencies and future careers. The $10,000 prize will provide financial assistance to either a Ph.D. or professional master's (MPS) student in the Department of Global Development who is interested in studying and solving important contemporary problems and/or futuristic societal needs/wants not currently being considered or significantly addressed by others. 

Students are responsible for obtaining their own funding for the MPS program in Global Development. The list we provide below includes opportunities offered by external agencies. This list is not an exhaustive guide to funding sources. It provides information about the sources of support obtained by our students in recent years.

AAUW Fellowships

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) provides fellowships to women for graduate study. Fellowships are available to US citizens and to women who are not US citizens but wish to study in the United States.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program provides scholarships for young professionals to pursue graduate study in the United States.

James Beard Foundation 

The James Beard Foundation offers scholarships for students interested in pursuing careers in the food industry and food affairs abroad. The application period is open February 14 to April 1 and awardees are notified in May. Please note that you will create an account on the James Beard website to see opportunities. 

OAS Academic Scholarship Program

The Organization of American States (OAS) Academic Scholarship Program provides scholarships to students from member states to study outside the sponsoring country. Non-US citizens from an OAS member state are eligible to apply for scholarships to study in the United States.

1. Can I transfer credits to count toward my MPS degree?

Yes. A maximum of six credits may be transferred in but these cannot be credits used to satisfy the requirements for a different degree program. That is, you can't simply take credits from your undergraduate transcript and count them toward Cornell's MPS. You may, however, request credit for courses taken at Cornell or another institution that did not lead to a degree.

2. What funding is available for MPS students?

Unfortunately, we have very limited funding for the program. Students are supported by their governments or employers or they are self-funded.
The program awards a Teaching Assistantship to one student. This award covers tuition and provides a stipend. The TA position requires an average of 15 hours of work per week during the academic year. The TA helps with an undergraduate course in the fall and with the MPS program throughout the academic year.  

The program also awards one Coverdell Fellowship to a returned Peace Corps Volunteer. This award covers tuition. It may be awarded to a single student or divided among as many as four students. 

Students interested in learning a South Asian or Southeast Asian language have also applied for and received Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships from the South Asia Program (SAP) or the Southeast Asia Program (SEAP). These fellowships require students to take language and area studies courses and they provide funding toward tuition (equivalent to roughly half the cost of tuition) as well as a stipend.

3. How do I apply for the Coverdell Fellowship or for the Teaching Assistantship?  

There is no separate application process for the Coverdell Fellowship or the Teaching Assistantship. All admitted RPCVs will be considered for the Coverdell Fellowship and all admitted students will be considered for the TAship. Decisions will be made in early April.  

4. Can I work while enrolled in the program? 

Yes. Full-time students may work up to 20 hours per week. 

5. Does the program accept letters of recommendation via email?

No. Recommendation letters are not accepted via email. They need to be submitted online to ApplyWeb by your references. All letters of recommendation submitted as part of the application package should appear on letterhead and include a signature.

6. May I submit a copy of my TOEFL/IELTS scores during the application process? 

Yes.  Self-reported TOEFL/IELTS scores are accepted as part of the application.  However, you will need to provide an official copy of your test scores before an offer of admission can be extended.  You should contact your TOEFL/IELTS test center and request that they submit your results to the Cornell University Graduate School.  The Graduate School sets the requirements for minimum TOEFL/IELTS scores.  The program cannot make exceptions to these minimum requirements.

7. How do I request a waiver for the application fee?   

The Graduate School handles all requests for application fee waivers. Please consult their website for information about fee waiver eligibility and how to apply. 

8. Can I apply for matriculation in the winter/spring (January) semester?

No. We accept students into the program in the fall semester only. In rare cases, such as cases involving delayed visas, we will make exceptions to this policy.

9. Is this a STEM designated program?

No. The MPS in Global Development is not a STEM designated program

10. Where do graduates of the MPS program find employment? 

The program has a vast network of alumnae working in organizations around the world. Many of our graduates work in development agencies or NGOs, and some find work in the private sector.  

11. What are "registration units?"

A registration unit is one semester of full-time study. Cornell requires MPS students to complete at least two semesters of full-time study, or the equivalent.  

12. How are advisors assigned or selected? 

MPS students are required to have an academic advisor. Students choose an advisor from a list provided by the program. Ideally, advisors are selected early in the fall semester but must be named by the end of October. Until the advisor is selected, the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) will act as your temporary advisor.

13. Can I change my advisor?

Yes. Changes of advisors are permitted and must be made online via your student center account.

14. What if my desired advisor is not a member of the field of Global Development?

Discuss the situation with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). It is sometimes possible for MPS students to work with faculty who are not members of the field. 

15. When should I contact a potential advisor? 

We encourage students to wait until they have been accepted into the program to communicate with potential advisors, and we encourage students to wait until they arrive on campus to finalize their advisor selections.  

16. Do I have to take the courses listed for the specializations on the program website?  

No. The courses we list on the website are simply illustrations or examples of what students with these general interests have taken in the past. All students work with an academic advisor to tailor a curriculum to suits their needs and interests. The program has no required courses other than the MPS Seminar.

Must Complete:

A candidate for the Master of Professional Studies in Global Development degree must complete the following items to be eligible to graduate:

• Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours related to the candidate's professional interest, as agreed upon with the faculty advisor.
  (a)   Twenty credit hours must be taken within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and at least 30 credits must be in graduate-level courses (5000-level and higher).
  (b)   A maximum of 6 of the required 30 credit hours may be earned through the student's problem-solving project (see third bullet).
  (c)   A maximum of 6 graduate-level credit hours earned outside the program, at Cornell University or elsewhere, may be counted toward these requirements at the discretion of the student's faculty advisor. These credits must be appropriate to the subject of study and completed not more than five years before admission.
• Completion of a minimum of two semesters. One semester must be earned by carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours. In certain circumstances, the second semester credit may be earned by accumulating the remaining credit hours in the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions at Cornell University or through transfer of credit (see item c above).
• Satisfactory completion of a problem-solving project under the supervision of the faculty advisor. This project may be an action program, the development of a plan to address a pertinent problem, the development of materials or methodology suited to the student's situation, or the development and execution of research appropriate to the profession. A formal project report must be submitted to and approved by the candidate's faculty advisor. 
• A minimum semester grade point average of 2.5 (minimum of 18 credit hours with letter grades at Cornell).
• Completion of the degree within four years of admission. Some fields of study may have special requirements, so students should check with the field's director of graduate studies for specific details.
• A petition to the MPS committee for exceptions to credit hour requirements may be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies. Language courses and writing courses do not count toward the credits required for the degree.